Some important highway projects are officially approved in central Virginia. The Commonwealth Transportation Board approved:
• Widening and other improvements to ease the bottleneck on U.S. 360 at Mechanicsville, starting in 2010. According to VDOT, this $78.2-million project, running from the Interstate 295 interchange to Walnut Grove Road, involves widening U.S. 360 to as many as eight lanes, relocating the Bell Creek Road intersection and improving the Lee-Davis Road intersection. • Improving the I-95 Carmel Church interchange in Caroline County, scheduled for 2009. The $14.4-million interchange reconstruction includes relocating state Route 652. • Modifying I-95's Lewistown Road interchange in Hanover County, a $6.3-million job, due to start construction in 2010. • Widening U.S. 33 in Hanover to four-lanes from a mile north of state Route 623 to 0.4 miles north of the Henrico County line, at a cost of $46.5 million, with work starting in 2012.
These projects are part of the state's $11-billion, six-year improvement program for roads, rail and public transit, effective July 1. As a result of the newly passed Transportation bill by the General Assembly funding for the plan will include $138 million for VDOT's 14-county Richmond District for interstate, primary, secondary and urban projects in 2008.